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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!

Y'all were patient and helpful when I started with questions re: grands to buy. I've tried to many, decided on one only to abandon the thought when I tried another, and then went back to the original, etc. I'm not a fickle person.

I've finally likened my search to "personalities" that include sound, presence, action and just plain style of the pieno (and I don't mean the case).

My first inclination was for M&H AA or BB. I'd played them in college and loved that they were both American-made and a sturdy, masculine sounding piano. I kind of likened them to John Wayne or Harrison Ford, and it was my job to work to refine them with my artistry (as if I had any,these days).

So that's where I started my search. And I loved the AA in particular (room too small to handle the sound of a BB). Then I was smitten with two European pianos - a Bosendorfer and a Schimmel. The more I played each, the more I leaned toward the Schimmel. It was gorgeous across the registers, but a bit overly-refined in comparison to the AA. Kind of like Louis Jourdan, if you will - suave and stylish but not a lot of big impact (altho the bass still makes me smile).

I tried Steingraeber and Bechstein and Steinway and "the NEW Baldwin" and Yamaha. By my taste, they never made it out of the supporting cast.

Then in the past two weeks, I've had the opportunity to play a Bluthner Model 6. Hello, Cary Grant -- sophisticated without seeming effete, charming without seeming oleaginous, and powerful/commanding when it needs to be.

I've done some calling around to various dealers, and each one has saidsomething about "and the newer ones are such an imporvement over the ones before." I get the sense they're gently referring to a potential decline post Iron Curtain and in the years up to the reuniting of Germany.

So my question now -- does anyone have opinions on Bluthners, and the wisdom of buying one that has been rebuilt/reconditioned to Bluthner specifications? And as an adjunct, is there any reputable source of pre-owned Bluthners on the west coast or nationally?

I played a Bluethner in Rancho Cordova, California ( forget the exact model but not the concert grand) and I was blown away. A magnificent piano! I cost more than the we paid for the house we are in now but it was a gorgeous sound. If you have the dinero, then go for it.

The one you should choose, is the one that after you play it, you look at it, and in your heart and head you find it almost unbelieveable that the beautiful music you just heard came from the partnership between you and this instrument.

Forget everything anyone says about this brand, that brand, sound, tone, touch, todays value, tomorrow value, its history as a company or its future, all that doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is the feeling between the two of you.

The one you should choose, is the one that after you play it, you look at it, and in your heart and head you find it almost unbelieveable that the beautiful music you just heard came from the partnership between you and this instrument.

Forget everything anyone says about this brand, that brand, sound, tone, touch, todays value, tomorrow value, its history as a company or its future, all that doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is the feeling between the two of you.

Hi, I'm on a train so I can't type a detailed response, but the bluthner style 8 which was made from about 1890 to 1925 is the best 6 feet ish model for rebuilding. There was a significant drop in quality during the iron curtain period although there are some good instruments from that time and they are generally priced quite low but beware - many of those instruments have belonged to conservatoires and Russian pianists and are now well past it.

The bluthners being made from about 1993 are better and in particular the latest models from about 2000 are some of the best instruments ever.

So Russian pianists banging away on all that Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff have done lots of damage, eh? Sorry for the joke, but it's an interesting concept.I'm not sure where in the US you might be, Joe (I'm in Oregon), but i see the occasional Bluthner on eBay with snippets of interesting stories around them, i.e., one for sale in SoCal right now for $9500 or best offer that was played by a German pianist who then moved to South American and then to NY and then to the West Coast. Me, I devised a story where a jewish musician in pre-war Germany had it, managed to move to So America during the 3rd Reich, moved to the US with his children, etc....and the piano has been here happily ever after. Maybe I should write screenplays about pianos (ever see THE RED VIOLIN?)...

I look forward to hearing more from you re: rebuilding. And I hope your journey on the train was great -- I love riding trains.

The best way to not drive yourself nuts when buying a piano is to realize: The perfect piano does not exist.

Just like the perfect actor does not exist. John Wayne, Harrison Ford, Louis Jourdan or Cary Grant all had/have their strengths; but it's possible for them to be miscast.

So: Find a piano you're satisfied with.

Unfortunately I'm probably not the right person to give advice, since i'm not a big fan of Blüthner. They sound too mellow in my opinion. But I will go out on a limb anyway and try to guess which pianos you may like, based on what you said.

If you like Blüthner and Schimmel, you may want to also try out Seiler or Kawai.If you don't like Bechstein, Steinway and Yamaha, you probably wouldn't appreciate Sauter.And if Steingraeber is not your cup of tea, there's probably little point in trying August Förster or Grotrian-Steinweg.

Do you like Fazioli? The Martin Scorcese actor of pianos? Leonardo de Niro? Just a suggestion.

I may be completely wrong of course. But anyway: Good luck with your search.

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Everything is possible, and nothing is sure. XXXI

The best Bluthners are pre-1920 (rebuilt) or post 1995, that much is true. I have no idea about who rebuilds to Bluthner spec in America, but there is one firm in the UK who rebuild even better than the Bluthner factory and that is pianorestorations.co.uk.

You can contact them directly through their website, or you can contact them through Bluthner piano Centre in the UK (www.bluthner.co.uk). Either will have the same result for you. They can source you a pre-WW1 piano and have it rebuilt, or sell you one already rebuilt. The price will be high, in the UK a rebuilt 6'3 Bluthner depending on the casework style will set you back £30,000 - £35,000. Bear in mind that you'll be paying in Dollars to pounds. I think you'll have the advantage that you can take our sales tax off that, but you'll have to pay your own duties on your side should you choose to go down that route. The pianos are rebuilt with plastic keytops, so you don't have to worry about ivory imports. The pianos are rebuilt with a new soundboard, new tuning plank, new action, and the case refurbished. They are of the same quality as a new piano, but with a slightly different scale design - for instance the older Bluthner has more monochord bass notes than the new one, but that's not really a major issue although the bichords lower down are a small improvement - but the price difference will be the clincher there - you pay about 40 to 50 percent less for a fully rebuilt piano and as I've said, the quality and tone is outstanding.

Alternatively, there will be Bluthner experts in the USA. There are many fine piano workshops in the USA, but look for one who knows how to replace a soundboard. There are many on this forum who can help and know how to do that. I have no idea of the costs involved for USA rebuilding workshops, but perhaps you'll save on import duties.

I took a long time to choose my piano and played several different kinds over about a year. I chose a new Bluthner Model 4 and I love it so much. I am very happy also with Classic Pianos in Portland. They were very patient and I never felt pressured at all during the process.

You may be able to find something not that old, or even get a good deal on a new one. Do you have something to trade in?

If you have a Bluthner agent near you, they may be able to import one of the UK rebuilds, but you'd have to be pretty serious about making the commitment then (not that they couldn't sell it to someone else but you know what I mean....)

Classic Pianos don't have Bluthner as one of their new makes on their website, but they'll probably know what's out there!